For more information about the Concord Public Library, visit concordpubliclibrary.net.
Birds of a Lesser Paradise
Megan Mayhew Bergman
2012, 224 pages
Short story collection
Ten of these 12 stories were previously published in prestigious literary journals, including one which appeared in the 2011 Best American Short Stories. All are heartfelt, humorous tales featuring vulnerable yet self-assured, unconventional female characters who have unique relationships with their children, parents, and animals.
One woman weighs her boyfriend against her menagerie of stray animals; a teenage girl faces off with a coyote mother in the woods; a young woman with a population-control-guru-boyfriend wonders how to deal with her pregnancy. The stories are sharp, fresh, and suspenseful; compassionate without being too sweet or sentimental.
